This is the first in a new range of Hollow Sun products called 'Alien Devices'. With a unique and striking looking, highly functional GUI, Pulstar is the ultimate pad monster as well as being a powerful synthesiser...

Layer two sounds together from 64 extensively multi-sampled waveforms taken from the best digital and analogue synthesisers, modulars as well as tape playback keyboards, valve test oscillators, a certain valve synth from 1939 and more....

Use the large dials to affect tone and 'size'. TONE offers a variation on Z-Plane filtering, sweeping through various filter responses in one rotation. These can be assigned to MIDI continuous controllers for real time control. 'SIZE' offers quick and easy superficial tweaking of envelope times.

The little horizontal slider at the top of the panel is a 'blend' control that allows you to 'morph' between the two layers but this can also be assigned to a MIDI continuous controller for real time control of the balance between the two layers.

And below that, the star-shaped button is the 'serendipity' function that will create new patches at random. It doesn't completely reprogram the entire sound, just offers different combinations of waveforms that you might not otherwise consider.

But if all that's not enough, pressing the EDIT key will provide a panel where you can roll your sleeves up and get down and dirty with the deeper functions of Pulstar...

With two LFOs, a pitch envelope, a multimode filter offering ladder and Pro-53 filters plus lowpass, bandpass, highpass, vowel and phase shifting filters, two ADSR envelopes and a versatile output section, Pulstar is a powerful synthesiser for the adventurous tweakist. Each layer is, of course, individually editable for an outrageous degree of programming flexibility.

And this all passes to a comprehensive effects section...

Selectable 'movement' effects that include chorus or flanging or phase shifting, MIDI-syncable stereo echo and a convolution reverb featuring a wide range of custom impulses.

Hollow Sun's experience of creating soundsets for many of the leading manufacturers' ROMplers since the 90s puts us in a unique position to create such an instrument that is the culmination of 30 years' worth of 'old school' sound design with a futuristic and modern twist. Some samples are simple that span the entire keyboard range giving you that low end aliasing crunch whilst others are detailed and long for precision programming. Either way, in combination, Pulstar allows you to create deep and organic pads which are almost complete soundtracks in their own right. On the other hand, a simple and mellow string 'carpet' to pad out a song is easily achievable and available in the many presets on offer.

This is a 'must have' for anyone who wants to explore texture and soundscapes and a 'go to' instrument for soundtrack composers who require maximum impact with the minimum of effort.

FEATURES* 1 GB of multi-sampled waveforms* Unique TONE control for morphable filtering* Serendipity function for random patch creation* Blend control for morphing between layers* Full editing panel for in-depth programming* Multi-FX with chorus/phaser/flanger and delay* Convolution reverb with a wide range of impulses